Ramisa murder formal trial begins

Sohel Rana, the prime accused of raping and murdering eight-year-old Ramisa Akhter in Mirpur area, claimed that he and his wife were innocent.

He claimed this during the hearing of the case at the Dhaka Metropolitan Child Violence Prevention Tribunal on Monday. 
The tribunal framed charges against Sohel Rana and his wife Swapna Akhter in the rape and murder case to start formal opening of the trial.

Judge Masrur Salekin passed the order after hearing the charge-sheet submitted six days after the investigation began. 
The tribunal also fixed Tuesday, June 2, 2026, for recording witness testimony.

During the hearing, Sohel Rana claimed his wife was innocent and alleged that a man named “Dollar” was the principal offender.

“My wife is not guilty,” he told the court. The tribunal proceeded with the framing of charges, while both the accused themselves pleaded not guilty.

Earlier in the morning, Sohel Rana was brought from Keraniganj Central Jail and Swapna Akhter from Kashimpur Jail to the court lockup.

Claiming that Dollar raped and killed the child, Sohel Rana told the court, “I did not rape her. I was only dismantled the body. A man named Dollar raped her. I have committed a sin, punish me for that sin.”

He further alleged that Dollar had promised him Tk 200,000 if he could bring Ramisa to him. Questioning the investigation, he claimed that the charge sheet had been prepared without conducting his DNA test.

When asked about Dollar’s identity, Sohel said, “House number 11, Mirpur, a very rich man.”
Speaking to reporters from the prison van after the hearing, he repeated the allegation, saying, “Dollar raped, Dollar killed. Everything will be revealed one day.”

The allegation has brought the name “Dollar” into fresh discussion, although investigators have not yet confirmed any such person’s involvement in the case.
Special Public Prosecutor Azizur Rahman Dulu described the allegation as “a matter of trial”.
“The prosecution has nothing to say about what was not found in the police report. What the defence says is a matter of evidence, which will be determined through the trial process,” he said.

He added that the state would seek the maximum punishment based on the case records, investigation findings and confessional statements. “If the charges of rape and brutal murder are proved, the maximum punishment will be the death penalty,” he added.

According to the case statement, Ramisa, a class-two student in a local school, was allegedly lured into the accused’s flat by Swapna Akhter on May 19. When family members searched for her, they found her shoes outside the flat. After forcing open the door, they discovered the child’s decapitated body in a bedroom and her severed head inside a bucket in the bathroom.
The victim’s father, Abdul Hannan Mollah, later filed a case with Pallabi Police Station naming both accused. Swapna was arrested first, while Sohel was later detained in Fatullah, Narayanganj. On May 20, Sohel gave a confessional statement before a court, according to case documents.